I don't know the specific dates, but before Korea became independent and then later split during the Korean War, it was a territory of Japan. The Japanese were not always fair to the Koreans, and because of that there is still much Anti-Japan sentiments among the people, which I sometimes catch a glimpse of with the students.
I was curious to know their feelings about the earthquake and tsunami from this weekend. Just as I predicted, some students did not have kind words for those suffering in Japan. I wonder how much is actually their opinion, rather than the words placed in their mouths by parents and other adults. This reminds me of cohort where we discussed how at this age range, children are beginning to form their own opinions and ideologies while also battling and questioning those opinions given to them. As an educator you want them to see both sides and form their own conclusion, but what if it's the "wrong" one?
One of our vocabulary words for the day related to the reading topic was 'funding', and while discussing the meaning / examples, some students said they would not give funding to Japan, or acted as though the natural disaster was karma for past treatments towards Korea. It's unfortunate such feelings are encouraged to foster in people so young.
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